Side door hanger



E. l. DODDS, JR

, Nov. 27, 1934.

SIDE DOOR HANGER Filed March 26, 1934 5 P1 in II EHIE Q I 7 2M, v

if M E w 1 H 1|1 m w 6 Patented Nov. 27, 1934- SIDE DOOR'HANGER Ethan I. Dodds, J r., Central Valley, N. Y., assignor to The Midland Company, South Milwaukee, Wis., a, corporation of Wisconsin Application March 26, 1934, Serial No. 717,411

4 Claims. (01. 16-98)- This invention relates to improvements in side door hangers, and moreparticularlyv to a wheel and axle arrangement for side door hangers.

Baggage, mail and freight cars are equipped Withrside doors;;which are slidably mounted, by means of wheel carrying hangers, from horizontal, overhead tracks or rails. Heretofore, certain types of hangers used for this purpose have been formed with slotsin which axles have been rotatably mounted with freedom of movement back and forth in said slots, the track engaging wheels being fast on said axles.

It has been found, however, that when a hanger of this type has been in service, binding is very apt to occur as between the axle and the slot, particularly at the, ends of the slot where pockets will be formed, due to wear. Wear of this nature will prevent the axle from making its travel withthe movement of the door, or from turning, with the result that the utility of the hanger .is rendered void and'theentire hanger v must be replaced. 7

It istherefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide aside door hanger wherein the above difficulties are overcome by an arrangement wherein the wheel is revolubly mounted on the axle and the axle may be fixedly adjusted at any position within the hanger slot, thereby eliminating chance of wear as between the axle and slot and permitting the axle to be setremote from a worn portion in the slot if this is the condition of the slot.

As before mentioned, wear in a slotted hanger, or shifting of the door or hanger is apt to impair the operation of the hanger. A further object of. the present invention is to provide a wheel and axle assembly for side door hangers adaptable to a hanger subjected to any of these conditions whereby the hanger can be salvaged and rendered fit for further use by substituting the improved wheel and axle assembly for the former assembly and securing the new axle in a desired position within the hanger slot so as to correct any discrepancies.

A further object of the invention is to provide a side door hanger which is of very simple construction, is strong and durable, is inexpensive to manufacture, is efficient in operation, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved side door hanger, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the improved side door hanger shown secured to the ,upper portion of a door and having itswheel engaging a track;

, Fig. 2 is a side edge view of the hanger with the door and track shown in sectionjand Fig. 3 is an, enlarged sectional 'view through the hanger and wheel and axle assembly,.taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. j 5 i Referring now moreparticularlyto the drawing it will appear that the hanger comprises a front plate 5, having a 'pair, of depending door engaging tongues -6, and a rear plate 7L Said 10 rear plate is removably secured to the front plate -at its ends by end flanges 8 and screws 14,.while the remainder of said rear plate is, spaced from the front plate so as to provide an. elongated wheel slot 9 between. the plates. Both the front and rear plates are provided with registering, elongated, horizontal axle slots 10 and .11.

The improved wheel and axle assembly includes a carriage bolt 12 adapted to 'be secured in a set position, and a peripherally grooved collar 13 adapted to be fixedly secured on an intermediate portion of the bolt. A grooved wheel 15 is rotatably mounted on said collar 13, with ball bearings 16 interposed between the wheel and collar. The ball bearings lodge in the peripheral grooves of the collar 13 and are retained by ball races 17.

In practice two or more hangers are secured to the upper portion of a slidable side door 18, such as is found on freight and baggage cars, and, the like. The plate portions 5 and 'l of each hanger project above the upper edge of the door, while the tongue portions 6 engage a surface of the door and are secured thereto by bolts 19. Then, the plate portion '7 is separated from the plate portion 5 and the bolt 12 is extended through the slot 11 of the plate portion '7 with its squared shank portion lodging in said slot to prevent rotation of the bolt. Next, the collar 13 and surrounding anti-friction 1 0 devices and the wheel 15 are slipped onto the intermediate portion of the bolt, after which the threaded end portion of the bolt is extended through the slot 10 of .the front plate 5. The bolt is properly adjusted with respect to the 1 5 slots 10 and 11 and if the hanger be an old or worn one care should be taken to position the bolt away from worn portions in said slots. The plate 7 is secured to the plate 5 by the bolts 14 and when these bolts are drawn up tightly the collar 13 becomes tightly clamped between the inner faces of said plate, as shown in Fig. 3, to prevent rotation of the collar. The bolt 12 is secured in adjusted position by a nut 20 threaded onto its outer end impinging adjacent a washer 21.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the bolt 12 is clamped in adjusted position and the collar 13 is clamped against rotation. The wheel 15 is revolubly mounted about the collar on ball bearings and turns freely. Said grooved Wheel is adapted to ride on the edge of a track flange 23 which is conveniently mounted above the door so that when the door 18 is moved back and forth it is depended from the track by virtue of two or more hangers and the wheels of the hangers ride on the track, facilitating movement of the door and guiding it.

The improved wheel and axle assembly may be incorporated either with new hangers of the type illustrated, or with old and worn hangers. With the wheel freely rotatably on the bolt, and the bolt fixed against rotation there will be no wear on the hanger. The arrangement is such that the assembly may, at any time, be shifted and relocated with respect to the hanger slots if discrepancies need correction due to shifting of the door or hanger after usage. As beforementioned, the assembly is especially suited for use with old hangers which have worn or grooved spots in the slots. If, at any time, replacements or repairs are required, the wheel and axle assembly may be easily and quickly removed and separated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved side door hanger and wheel and axle assembly therefor, is of very simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

vWhat is claimed as the invention is:

1. In a door hanger, spaced frame members having registering slots therein, a bolt adapted for adjustment along said slots, means for clamping said bolt to said frame members in various positions of adjustment, a bearing sleeve carried by said bolt between said frame members and adapted to be clamped in a fixed position, and a rail engaging wheel rotatably embracing said sleeve.

2. In a door hanger, spaced frame members having registering slots therein, a bolt adapted for adjustment along said slots, means for clamping said bolt to said frame members in various positions of adjustment, a bearing sleeve carried by said bolt between said frame members and adapted to be clamped in a fixed position, a rail-engaging wheel embracing said sleeve, and an anti-friction bearing interposed between said wheel and said sleeve.

3. In a door hanger, spaced frame members having registering slots therein, a bolt adapted for adjustment along said slots, means for clamping said bolt to said frame members in various positions of adjustment, a removable bearing sleeve carried by said bolt between said frame members and adapted to be clamped in a fixed position therebetween, a rail-engaging wheel embracing said sleeve, and an anti-'fric tion bearing interposed between said Wheel and said sleeve.

4. In a door hanger, spaced frame members having registering horizontal slots therein, one of said frame members having depending door engaging tongues, a bolt adapted for horizontal adjustment along said slots, means forclamping said bolt to said frame members in various positions of adjustment, a removable bearing sleeve carried by said bolt between said frame members, means cooperating with said firstmentionedclamping means to clamp said sleeve between said frame members, said means also serving to detachably connect said frame members, a rail-engaging wheel embracing said sleeve, and an anti-friction bearing interposed between said wheel and said sleeve.

ETHAN I. DODDS, JR.

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